The death of a young man found inside a burned car near the Loyola Marymount University campus in the Westchester area of Los Angeles on Thursday is believed to be a suicide.

Los Angeles firefighters responded to a car fire at a wildlife protection area near the school on LMU Drive and Lincoln Boulevard shortly after 2 a.m. LAPD officers were also called to the scene after firefighters discovered a body inside the burned vehicle, authorities said.

The body was described as that of a 19-year-old high school graduate and resident of L.A., authorities said. The young man, who was not an LMU student, had disappeared sometime Wednesday night and was "despondent." Investigators said he had been battling depression for some time.

Authorities determined the teen died in the car fire, and his death appears to have been a suicide.